Cleaning a copper bowl

Q: How can I make sure the copper bowl I am using is 100 percent clean before I whip up my egg whites? -- Jackie Newman, Olympia, Wash. A: If there's a trace of fat or oil in any bowl you use to whip up egg whites, the whites won't ever reach their full potential in terms of height or volume. While a copper bowl is ideal for whites, as it lends them a little extra stability, it requires a tiny bit of extra care. In order to properly clean a copper bowl, pour in 1/4 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons coarse salt, then rub into the surface. The salt acts as an abrasive, penetrating into the little pockets of the metal where fat might hide; the vinegar forces the fat out of those pockets. Once you've scrubbed it, all you have to do is rinse with water and air-dry, and your whites will whip up perfectly. (For more information,... [read full story]